ETHOS OF THE SCHOOL
Aughnacloy College promotes effective teaching and learning within a Christian ethos and in partnership with parents supporting all pupils within a caring school. It encourages a positive self-concept leading to personal responsibility and self-discipline.
RATIONALE
Discipline and self-discipline is one of the basic requirements on which a school exists. Its acceptance is fundamental to the life and work of the school as it prepares its pupils for adult life.
SCHOOL AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
1) To develop the pupils’ self-confidence and self-discipline.
2) To provide a happy and challenging learning environment.
3) To promote the development in pupils’ attitudes, this will lead to high standards of behaviour and good personal relationships.
4) To establish a creative and secure educational partnership between the school, the contributory primary school, the home and community.
5) To equip pupils to meet the challenges of adolescent and adult life.
6) To recognise that all pupils are individuals and as such have unique talents and needs and the school as a caring society seeks to develop these qualities and provide for the needs of each pupil.
Aim 1 – To develop the pupils’ self-confidence and self-discipline
Objectives
1) To develop through the Form Teacher system, a programme of pastoral care across all year groups designed to promote continuation and progression.
2) To provide pupils with an induction programme specially designed to introduce them to their new environment, to promote their self-esteem and to agree standards of achievement, attainment and behaviour.
3) To provide situations inside and outside the classroom in which individual pupils are able to play an active and responsible role in all subjects.
Aim 2 – To provide a happy and challenging learning environment.
Objectives
1) To provide a broad and balanced curriculum, this will stretch every child to his/her limit, regardless of ability.
2) To develop the appearance of every classroom in such a way as to stimulate learning.
Aim 3 – To promote the development in pupils of attitudes, this will lead to high standards of behaviour and good personal relationships.
Objectives
1) To promote in pupils a range of attitudes such as tolerance, consideration, honesty, punctuality, reliability and commitment.
2) To foster the development of positive attitudes through
(a) classroom experience
(b) extra-curricular activities
(c) the general ethos of the school
Aim 4 – To establish a creative and secure educational partnership between the school, the contributory primary schools, the home and the community.
Objectives
1) To develop curricular and pastoral links with the main feeder primary schools.
2) To foster links with parents through written and verbal communication and by encouraging parents to visit the school on formal and informal occasions.
3) To provide opportunities for pupils to engage in community service.
Aim 5 – To equip pupils to meet the challenge of adolescent and adult life.
Objectives
1) To provide the opportunity for pupils to follow courses leading to public examinations where appropriate.
2) To promote in pupils an adaptability to cope with changing employment structures through guidance systems, careers and work experience programmes.
3) To encourage all subject areas to make use of information technology.
4) To encourage all pupils to acquire awareness which can lead to a working knowledge of technological skills.
5) To provide a programme of health and sex education for all pupils and opportunities for training in such life skills as time management, money management and coping with life transition.
6) To give all pupils a knowledge and understanding of their rights and responsibilities, both as individuals and as members of groups.
7) To promote a positive and constructive attitude to the use of leisure time by providing information on the leisure facilities available locally, and by encouraging pupils to take part in sport and other activities which may help to develop relationships.
Aim 6 – To recognise that all pupils are individuals and as such have unique talents and needs and the school as a caring society seeks to develop these qualities and provide for the needs of each pupil.
Objectives
1) To identify the range of individual needs of all first year pupils on enrolment.
2) To ensure, through continuous assessment, that pupils are progressing according to their ability.
3) To utilise a range of teaching strategies and learning approaches to efficiently meet the demands of special educational needs.
4) To provide equality of access to the Northern Ireland Curriculum for the maximum number of pupils.
5) To prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.
To engage the support and resources of outside agencies as and when this assistance is felt necessary.
STAFF ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY
All staff will maintain a consistent and fair approach to discipline by: -
- Fostering mutual respectful relationships between pupils, parents and staff.
- Having clearly defined structures.
- Rewarding good behaviour.
- Adopting constructive, effective and fair sanctions.
- Implementing appropriate teaching strategies to enable all pupils to achieve their potential.
- Maintaining high expectations of all pupils.
- Providing support through the pastoral care system.
PARENTS ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY
We see parents as partners in fostering good pupil conduct by: -
- Sending their children to school on time, everyday, in uniform with their homework completed and with all necessary equipment.
- Supporting the school in its expectations of pupil behaviour.
- Maintaining regular communication with the school including providing absence notes, attending parent’s evenings and keeping appointments made.
- Refusal by a parent to support and to co operate with the school in the implementation of the school’s discipline policy will be taken as an intention on the part of that parent to withdraw their child from the school.
PUPILS ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY
- Come prepared to school and ready to engage in the learning process.
- Respect the rights of teachers to teach and pupils to learn.
- Attend regularly and punctually in correct uniform with homework completed and all necessary equipment for class.
- Deal with conflict in a non-aggressive manner.
- Accept correction and direction.
- Treat fellow pupils and adults with respect.
- Respect the school environment
- Respect the property of others.
- Be loyal to the school by maintaining high standards of behaviour and uniform in public.
- Think and speak well of the school.
- Respect each other as well as their property.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Aughnacloy College expects the highest standard of behaviour from all its students whilst in school and travelling to and from school. Students are expected to behave in a polite and co-operative manner. A high standard of courtesy to all and respect for property is required from everyone.
Thus all students must:
- respect the authority of all Staff including, Teaching, Office, Ancillary and Auxiliary Staff and address them politely;
- co-operate with and respect the authority of prefects;
- respect the dignity of fellow students and show understanding and tolerance of their differences;
- avoid using any form of vulgar or abusive language;
- refrain from bullying and report any instances of bullying immediately;
- be punctual for class and assembly;
- behave with politeness, holding doors open when appropriate and giving way to adults;
- walk in single file on the left in the corridors (running in the corridors is not permitted);
- knock politely on the classroom door before entering;
COLLEGE RULES
1. Wear complete college uniform at all times.
2. Blazer to be worn at all times outside classroom.
3. No earrings for boys or girls.
4. Hair should be neat and tidy and only natural colours.
5. Shirts tucked in and ties worn to the correct length.
6. No jewellery.
7. No make up or nail varnish.
8. Only permitted badges to be worn on the college uniform.
9. During the college day the use of mobile phones and pagers are not permitted.
10. Certain items are unacceptable at any time in school e.g. laser pens, BB guns or other items which pose a danger to self or others.
11. Chewing gum is not permitted.
12. Smoking is forbidden in the college and whilst travelling to and from the college or at any other time whilst wearing the college uniform.
13. Alcohol is strictly forbidden.
14. All Students must stay on the college premises during college time.
15. No roaming around the school at morning, break, dinner or home time.
16. Pupils can remain in the cloakrooms on wet or extremely cold days but on other days, the playgrounds and the all-weather pitch can be used at break and lunch times.
17. No pupils are ever to be found at the rear of the school or beyond the tennis courts during the school day.
- Pupils must stay off the grass as this leads to filthy shoes and severe cleaning problems within the building.
APPROPRIATE SANCTIONS FOR DISCIPLINE
(a) Verbal reprimand
(b) Additional work as homework by class teacher
(c) Detentions.
- Break detention by class teacher for classroom discipline breach.
- Break detention by form teacher for minor discipline breach, referral from
class teacher.
- Lunchtime detention (held on a Monday) for minor breaches of school
discipline referral to senior teacher in charge by form teacher.
- After school detention (held on alternate Wednesdays) for major
breaches of school discipline referral to senior teacher in charge.
(d) Report sheets on behaviour and academic performance, circulated by Form teacher and completed by teachers for a given period.
(e) Removal of privileges.
(f) In cases of serious breaches of discipline parents will be informed and invited to attend school to discuss son/daughter’s behaviour and if appropriate will be required to guarantee son/daughter’s acceptable behaviour in future.
(g) Suspension is an option that is used only as carefully directed within the SELB guidelines.
(h) Expulsion is an option that is used only as carefully directed within the SELB guidelines.
IMPLEMENTATION
Minor breaches of discipline dealt with by the classroom teacher.
1. Verbal reprimand
2. Demerit issued
3. Move seat in class
4. Extra homework
5. Break time class detention
6. Lunchtime class detention
7. Removal to another classroom
8. Referral to Form Teacher
Persistent minor breaches of discipline can result in teachers implementing higher numbered sanctions quicker.
When a pupil fails to complete homework the following sanctions should be worked through per term:-
1. First time homework not completed – Verbal Warning
2. Second time homework not completed – Extra homework and demerit
3. Third time homework not completed – Break time classroom detention
4. Fourth time homework not completed – Lunch time school detention
5. Homework not completed more than four times – Referral to Vice Principal for after school detention
More serious breaches of discipline dealt with by the Form Teacher.
1. Break time form detention
2. Removal of privileges
3. Removal from school trips
4. Referral to Vice Principal
More serious breaches of discipline dealt with by the Vice Principal.
1. After School detention
2. Placed on daily report for a set time – parents informed
3. Withdrawn from normal class for a period of time – parents informed
3. Parents brought into school for meeting with the Vice Principal
4. Referral to Principal
More serious breaches of discipline dealt with by the Principal.
1. Withdrawn from normal class for a period of time – parents informed
2. Parents brought into school for a meeting with Principal
3. Formal Suspension for a period of time
4. Readmission meeting
More serious breaches of discipline dealt with by the Board of Governors.
1. Lengthening the period of suspension
2. Parents brought into school for a meeting with Board of Governors
3. Expulsion
